At Least 12 Dead in Navy Yard Shooting

Twelve people were killed Monday after at least one shooter opened fire in a rampage at a Navy yard in the nation's capital, putting government buildings on lockdown and sending police SWAT teams rushing to the scene.

One suspect is dead, but two other gunmen may be on the loose, Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

DHS hasn't found any connection to terrorist groups, but who knows if that will last. In the meantime, the nation's capital remains paralyzed, with major highways closed off and flights out of Reagan National stalled. The accounts of what happened, as told by survivors, are downright gruesome:

By about 8:45 a.m., [Navy Commander Tim] Jirus stood in an alley near his building and talked with a civilian about what was unfolding. Then came the sound of two more gunshots — very loud, because they were echoing off the alley. Jirus looked toward the direction of the sound, then looked down: The other man had fallen to the ground, shot in the head.

Jirus said he didn’t know whether the shooter was on the roof or if there was an open door behind him, but he knew the other man was dead, and he was terrified. He ran, seeing security officers arrive at the northern end of the alley and sheltering behind police cars.

Naturally, gun-control partisans are already manning the Internet barricades, with the usual suspects behaving like insufferable, ghastly ambulance chasers. Rather than fight back, at least for today, offer a prayer.

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